Negotiate Lower Hotel Rates with These Helpful Tips

Staying in hotels today can be expensive, but savvy travelers know all the secrets to finding the best deals. It is better for a hotel to be full than have empty rooms, and if you know whom to speak to and what to say, there is a high chance you can get the best rate available.

Go to Negotiating Websites

The simplest way to get the cheapest rate as you are probably aware by now is to use one of those negotiating websites where you submit your best deal. But, in these cases you are stuck if you don’t like the hotel they choose for you, but at least you will pretty much get the quality you want for a very good price. Although it may not exactly be in the part of town you hoped.

Ask and Negotiate

Another method that works well is to simply call up and ask. Assuming you see a good rate down the road at another hotel, but you heard much better things about this one and would like to stay. Tell them you are on a limited budget and ask if they could match the other hotels price or at least give you their best rate. If they have empty rooms, most likely they will accommodate your request.

Inquire about Special Rates

Discounted rates are also available if you are a member of the military, government, AAA, AARP, and other organizations. Inquire about these special rates when speaking with a manager. Always ask to speak with the guest relations coordinator since they usually have the power to make upgrades and grant room exceptions.

Stay in Under Reconstructed Hotels

Always be extremely pleasant when speaking to the person at the hotel as you try and negotiate a good deal. If they are smart and want their rooms filled up, you will most likely get a good deal. Another way to get a good negotiated rate is staying in hotels, which are undergoing remodelling. Usually, those hotels have lots of cancellations with many minor inconveniences in some of the rooms. Ask if any of those rooms are available and if they would be willing to give a discounted rate.

Keep track of all the rates around that city, so when you do speak to the manager of the hotel, you have numbers that you can throw out. Mainly the best time to get a good deal is if you call up during the middle of the week since the weekend manager might not have the same power to negotiate something lower.

Another well-known fact is that the more expensive the hotel is, the greater chance they are open to negotiation. Try it out one time and see how much money you can knock off the regular rate with a simple phone call. Contact them during the off-peak season to get an even better deal.

Negotiating hotel rates is not that hard and with a little bit of ingenuity you can find exactly what you’re looking for at a great price.